Being 'A'
by Lady Ifrit
Summary: NaruSasu. Naruto thought it figured that the hottest person he knew and had fallen for wasn’t all that up for sex. Sasuke’s finding out more about himself and is coming out of that metaphorical closet.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Being 'A'

Author: Lady Ifrit

Ratings/Warnings: R

Genre: Romance

Summary: Naruto figured that the hottest person he knew and had fallen for wasn't all that up for sex. Sasuke's finding out more about himself and is coming out of that metaphorical closet. (There's a lot of comments and suggestions in fic that Sasuke's so uptight that he could be asexual, so I thought, what if he actually was?)

* * *

There were hands and lips roving over his body, their touch sensuous and soft. Calloused hands trained in the killing arts that had gentled as they touched and held him, stroking and caressing his skin in a loving and reverent manner. Unbuttoning the dress shirt he had worn out on the date they had returned from, only two hours ago – Naruto had insisted that they take part in the dating ritual ever since they had both reluctantly and clumsily confessed that they liked each other (_like that_) on a somewhat drunken night off. It was his favourite shirt, a red only slightly darker than that which was on the Uchiha crest and that complimented his complexion perfectly, and that was why the blond was being exceptionally careful in taking it off – Sasuke looked good in it and Naruto wanted to see that sight again.

Lips mouthed the base of his neck and shaggy, sun-bright hair tickled the underside of his jaw as Naruto worked his way downwards from Sasuke's face to his now bare shoulder. His own pale hands worked their way over tanned shoulders to embrace the other's warmth and bury themselves in golden hair.

It was nice, being in Naruto's arms, but Sasuke couldn't help the niggling feeling in the back of his mind, like something was bothering him but he couldn't quite figure out what it was. Trying to ignore it, he concentrated on what Naruto was doing, watching as the blond kissed and licked his way down his chest to his navel, working his trousers open at the same time. He shuddered every time that tongue came out to lap at his skin and, strangely, they were not shivers of delight. He couldn't help but try to squirm away from that slippery appendage.

When his partner lifted himself back up to face level to kiss his mouth, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something wrong. Or missing. He could feel Naruto's hardness pressing against him but his own body wasn't on that level of arousal yet and seemed, for some reason, apprehensive about getting there. He shook his head to try and rid himself of the feeling and lose himself in Naruto's attentions, telling himself that it was probably nothing at all – he was just being paranoid. It was probably just nerves. Naruto would be his first everything and it was normal to be nervous and jittery.

The soft, almost chaste touch of soft lips on his was nice and he melted into it, moving his own mouth against it. He felt the tongue swipe at his bottom lip, seeking entrance and he pursed his lips a little before complying with the request and opening his mouth, allowing it inside. It felt strange and foreign inside his mouth and he wondered, not for the first time, why so many people did this and talked about it. He'd heard girls talk about kissing techniques, raving about certain ways to do it right and those who could and, from what he'd heard, Naruto was doing all the things that they said was good. He knew Naruto was experienced – he'd had a few partners, both male and female, while Sasuke had been gone from the village – and he had bragged to Sasuke often enough that he was an excellent kisser. The blond was a sexual person, who both knew it and embraced it and would be the one guiding Sasuke in this area. So why did it feel weird?

Even as he told himself again that it was just the nerves that any first-timer would have at the onset of actually losing his virginity, he could feel Naruto's hands working their way into his underwear. He could feel his heart start beating faster and something dark, like storm clouds, growing inside his chest and filling the space under his ribcage, making it harder for him to breathe. Was it dread? But then Naruto's fingers were on his still limp manhood and he couldn't think on identifying that feeling anymore.

He froze, clamping his legs together and jerking away from the blond, his hands coming down to physically push the other away. His breathing was still quiet but coming in harsh, irregular pants and he fought to control himself, not understanding why he was reacting this way.

Rustling next to him and he could feel Naruto's warmth come closer to him as well as hear his concerned and slightly panicked voice questioning,

"Sasuke? Sasuke, what's wrong?"

He couldn't answer, still concentrating on taking deep breaths to steady himself and get out of this out-of-character episode, so he just shook his head.

"Was it something I did? Man, what did I do?! Are you gonna be ok, Sasuke?" The panic was still there.

As he finally got his breathing back under control and his body stopped shaking, he pushed himself up into a sitting position near one end of the bed. He brought his knees up towards his body, resting his arms on them and leaned forward to put his face in his hands, feeling mildly embarrassed and mostly perplexed after that strange sense of alarm slowly seeped out of his body. And Naruto was still freaking out.

"I'm sorry. I – I'm ok now."

"Are you sure?! Should I get you anything? Maybe a glass of water?" The panic was decreasing, but a remnant remained there along with the concern and the same frustrated confusion that Sasuke was feeling.

"No. No, I'm – I'm fine, Naruto. I'm ok, now. I'm sorry." He wasn't quite sure why he was apologising. That reaction had taken him by surprise as much as it had Naruto. He was sure that wasn't what was supposed to happen. Maybe that was why – he couldn't explain where that had come from.

"If you're sure…."

Sasuke lifted his head out of his hands and turned to face the blond ninja. He could now see quite clearly into those sky-blue eyes and see the concern and fear for him that was roiling inside. It seemed as if Naruto was trying to come up with explanations for what had happened to cause Sasuke to react in such a way and each scenario he thought of was worse than the next, freaking him out even more.

"Sasuke….Sasuke, what was that?" He reached out to place a reassuring hand on his paler partner's shoulder, trying to soothe with his warm touch. When he didn't react badly to the contact, Naruto took the opportunity to scoot closer and offer more comfort.

Sasuke could feel the heat rise in his cheeks at being treated so delicately and turned his face away, even as he leaned into the hold. "You – you were scared. I've never seen you like that, except for that time – the Chuunin exams, in the forest and Orochimaru attacked – you froze kinda like that back then." He hesitated then, reluctant to say what he thought and tightened his hold around Sasuke's body.

"Were you – Sasuke, when you were gone…did Orochimaru…did he…_touch_ you?" The question was asked in a fearful sort of whisper, asking about the worst scenario he could think of.

Sasuke whipped his head around to face Naruto, shocked and outraged at what Naruto was implying had happened to him. Now there was anger mixed in with the humiliation, the confusion forgotten as the heat of it swamped him. His arm rose almost of its own volition and before he realised what he was doing, he had hit the blond across his face. Still, the fury didn't allow him to regret it.

"Don't you ever suggest such a thing again! Don't even think it, idiot." He pushed the other away from him roughly, indignant and pride-hurt. "Do you really think that little of me? That I'm some weak loser who would allow something like that to happen?! I'm not some kind of victim, Naruto, and _I _was the one who killed Orochimaru. Because he had nothing left to teach me and I refused to be ordered around by someone _weaker_ than me!"

Naruto looked a strange mixture of startled, relieved and ashamed at those words, the odd mix of emotions pulling his otherwise handsome face into peculiar contortions. His cheeks flushed red and he ducked his head in a boyish manner. Silence reigned for a few moments, Sasuke's irate huffing the only sound permeating it. Then Naruto looked up from beneath the shaggy golden locks that fell over his head with a guilty flush and shifted awkwardly.

"I – I'm sorry, Sasuke. I didn't mean anything like that. I know you're not weak." He fidgeted a little and looked up, the expression so genuinely apologetic and guilty that Sasuke couldn't help but relent in his anger a little.

"Well you'd better remember that." Fists that had tightened in fury and outrage, loosened and Naruto, understanding that his apology had been accepted, took it as an invitation to come closer once again. Sasuke allowed himself to be held and they sat that way for several moments before Naruto made himself speak once more, his tenacious nature not allowing the matter to drop until he was completely informed.

"So…what was that? I mean, I'm glad you're OK and nothing weird happened to you in the past or anything, but…it's still pretty serious. Because, you were, like, freaking out and…it's weird, seeing you like that. It kinda freaks me out, since you don't do that easily." He was babbling. "And you weren't really all that into it from the start either, you know. I figured, maybe you were just nervous or something since it was your first time and you didn't know what to do. Or overwhelmed, because, you know, I'm just that good." He laughed at his own quip a little, but it came out sounding more nervous than suave. He could tell that Sasuke didn't want to talk about it.

Sasuke shrugged at him, not all that willing to look into his face. He had indeed been hoping that Naruto would let the incident go and not talk about it. He himself wanted to pretend that nothing had happened.

"I don't know. I guess I was just really nervous. I – I don't think I'm ready for this Naruto." It was hard to say. It felt that admitting to something like that made him _less_ somehow. Strange that he was eighteen years old, had killed and fought in more than his share of battles, but had never been touched so intimately and was something too close to _afraid_ to having sex and losing his virginity.

He sneaked a glance at Naruto's face and caught a trace of hurt there, but it was quickly swept over by acceptance. A soft squeeze of the arms around him and quick kiss was dropped on his cheek.

"Then we'll take it slow. It's OK, Sasuke, I can wait. The last thing I want to do is pressure you into something you're not ready for. I'd hate it if that happened. If you feel like I'm rushing you, just tell me to stop. Or, you know, punch me in the face – that seems to work for us most of the time." They both laughed softly at that.

Sasuke turned to return the embrace as a sign of his thanks and they held each other tight but comfortable in each other's warmth for some time until they both slowly became aware of a small problem of Naruto's that hadn't completely gone down.

"Uh, Naruto…is that…?"

"Ehehehe, um, maybe we should just go to bed." One arm lifted to scratch at the back of his head in a sheepish gesture that he'd used since childhood. "Yeah, let's do that. I'm gonna go change in the bathroom."

It was amusing to watch as Naruto headed off, tugging his shirt and open trousers out in an effort to hide his (very) slowly wilting erection. Shaking his head at his dorky boyfriend as he exited the room, Sasuke began tugging off his own mostly removed clothes to change into his sleepwear and got under the covers, waiting for his partner to return before turning off the lights. With a chaste kiss goodnight, they went to sleep holding each other close.

* * *

He was warm and comfortable – these were the first things he was aware of. That and there was something soft but firm resting in his arms, nestled against his body, radiating a gentle heat into his own. It smelt nice – something indefinable mixed into warm musk – and slowly he realised exactly how snugly fitted it was against him, from chest to thigh. He rocked into the inviting heat, his hips moving almost unconsciously, and felt what had previously just been contentment turn into pleasure. He rocked again, felt the pleasure spike, then again and again and again.

The sharp pain in his side, in that tender space just where his ribs ended, was sudden and unexpected. Drowsy bliss turned into painful awareness just in time to see the elbow drive its way into his side once more. He yelped and scrambled back and away, clutching his hurt torso and turning his eyes to the other occupant of the bed.

"Ow!! Sasuke, what the hell?!"

"You were humping me, moron! I don't like it and I didn't want you coming all over my ass again."

"Oh. Uh, sorry." Naruto flushed, embarrassed at what he had been caught doing, albeit unconsciously, and also at the mention of a previous incident. "But still, you didn't have to be so violent about it! Could have just rolled me over and let me enjoy my dream!"

"Tch, whatever. Do it again and you're not sleeping in the same bed as me. Why are you so horny all the time anyway?"

"Aw, come on, that's not fair! And I can't help it – it's the Kyuubi's fault. Jiraiya said that I'm absorbing him, so I'm gonna like some of the same stuff that he does - like food, meat especially, sleeping, sunbathing – "

" – and sex?"

"Yeah, especially that. And especially with you."

Sasuke raised one fine dark eyebrow in his direction, looking somewhat sceptical but accepting. "Hn. I'm flattered. Now go and get ready – we have to renew some supplies so we're ready for out next mission."

Naruto pouted, put off at being roused in such a way but as he made his way around the bed to Sasuke's side, closer to the door while his was nearer the window, he glanced hopefully at his lover and perked up a little.

"Can I at least get a good-morning kiss? Since you woke me up in such a mean way and all…?"

"No. I don't want your morning breath." Dour as always his boyfriend was, but Naruto refused to give up hope.

"Well, how about one on my ouchie?" He raised his sleeping tee up to bare his torso, showing off a rather impressive six pack and pointing to an already fading bruise on his side.

"No. Go shower."

In response and an impressive show of maturity (not), Naruto stomped his way out of the room, grumbling about a man's needs and inhuman bastards who didn't seem to have any sort of sex drive and liked to tease unassuming hot blonds.

Sasuke smirked and wondered if maybe he had been a bit harsh in his method of waking up his boyfriend. Well, he'd make Naruto's favourite breakfast this morning and maybe he'd share a bit with his 'unassuming hot blond' in a way of making it up to him. Maybe.

It had been a few weeks since that botched first attempt at making love, but they still hadn't been able to make it work. Somewhere in a corner of his mind that he didn't often look into, the comment on not having a sex drive managed to paste itself on the wall and grow small roots.

* * *

A/N: I hope you guys liked this and think it's a little different - this plotbunny has been bothering me for weeks. Please review and constructive criticism is very much appreciated. Reviews make me happy and make me write faster (as well as stoke my ego). )


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: It isn't mine

A/N: I took way too long to write this, but I didn't really like what I had at first so I changed things around, deleted stuff and (mostly) added bits, so that's why. Also, I realise that I probably killed a few metaphors in this passage and, in my defence, they seemed like a good idea at the time I was writing this (1am) and I kind of like them now. Also, I should probably tell you that this is a building block chapter where stuff does happen but the plot has barely even started resolving itself. I'm sorry if I kept anyone waiting! Anyway, on to the chapter.

Chapter 2

Slipping into the shared bathroom of their small two-bedroom flat, still grumbling half-heartedly, Naruto hurried through most of his regular morning routine in order to climb into the shower, careful to lock the door first. It wouldn't do to have Sasuke walk in as he took care of himself. He felt horny, his body aching for sexual release and the feeling of closeness and sated comfort that came from sharing the act with another person. The last time he'd had that, he realised with sad frustration, had been in the last relationship before Sasuke. Since then, he had only been able to achieve a poor and lonely imitation of that: servicing himself.

He knew he couldn't afford to take too long though or Sasuke would catch onto exactly what he was doing in there. Naruto didn't want to hurt his lover's feelings, knowing that Sasuke could be touchy about a lot of things and he certainly didn't want to make him feel pressured. Whatever was stopping Sasuke from wanting sex was something he didn't know or understand, but he realised that this was one of the times that patience was required of him. He would have to endure and try to help in any way he could.

Quickly drying himself off, he went to get dressed, making sure that he had enough on him that he would be ready if he were to be suddenly put back on duty again. Both he and Sasuke had managed to procure a couple days of leave and Naruto and his team would have to go out again the next day, though the mission briefing was to take place later this day. That gave the both of them the rest of this morning, part of the afternoon and most of the evening to spend together.

As he looked in the mirror, absent-mindedly trying to make himself look good for Sasuke in the hope of being found sexy, he wondered what they could do today. The morning was obviously going to be spent restocking a lot of their supplies – Naruto had an unfortunate habit of losing a lot of kunai and breaking the wooden handles on some of his knives or chipping the blades too much, while Sasuke seemed to like charring his. On his last mission, the Uchiha had managed to melt one of his spools of garrotte wire, but he guessed it should have been expected. Maybe they'd be able to make a date out of getting lunch? Food dates were always the best in Naruto's opinion

He grinned into the mirror one last time and walked into the kitchen, smelling the delicious scents that wafted from within. His eyes lit up as he saw what Sasuke was making and he wrapped his arms around the other in delight. Scrambled eggs, fried shrimp, steamed rice dumplings and –

"Aw, Sasuke, you even made the spicy sauce stuff that goes so well with the rice buns! Have I told you how much I love you recently?"

Sasuke raised one finely shaped eye-brow at him, his smirk not quite as hidden as he thought it was. "Who says any of this is for you? Maybe I made it just so you could watch me eating it."

But Naruto just grinned back affably, eyes twinkling. "Come on, Sasuke. You don't like any of this stuff together – you always tell me it's weird and I'm the only person you know who would even have this all on the same table. You don't care for scrambled eggs, you don't believe in eating fried anything in the morning – about the only thing you don't mind in this spread is the rice buns with the spicy stuff, which I can see you made extra. And you've made miso soup for yourself as well; it's right there on the counter. So ha! You can't fool me!" He quickly moved the dishes to the table so that they could sit and eat comfortably, talking all the while, "But anyway, I was thinking, you wanna make lunch a date? The briefing is at three, so after we've finished buying stuff we can spend an hour or so doing whatever. I'm not going to see you for another six days after all and even then not very much."

Happily making plans and looking forward to the rest of the day, Naruto dug into his food with gusto, appreciating the work Sasuke had put into the meal with loud enthusiasm. The small smile that he received was enough to make him forget any troubles he harboured and to spur him on. It still amazed him sometimes, seeing how much Sasuke had changed after he had left the village. The Uchiha had learned a lot, not just about ninja-related things, but also himself and life. He was freer and more open now – not too open, of course, he was still Sasuke – but the burdens he had carried on his shoulders had lightened and he was better able to carry them. The shadows in his eyes were no longer all encompassing and Naruto knew just how much it had taken to get to this point.

For Sasuke, spending so much time on his own, dwelling on his obsessions in his every waking minute had been exhausting and it had given him time to think about a lot of things. There had been nothing to distract him from thinking and dreaming of his goals, no Naruto yelling or demanding his time or trying to prove he was better, no Sakura trying constantly to get closer, none of the amusements of everyday life as it had been in Konoha to divert his attentions. Before he had run away, Sasuke had often cursed all these things for happening and occupying precious space in his mind when he had been trying so hard to shut out the world and hate as his brother had told him to. After he left the village, he had realised that not all the jutsu and techniques in the world could fill up enough space in his mind for him to not want those distractions.

At the end of it all, it hadn't been what he had expected either. Even killing Orochimaru – the man he knew was ruthlessly exploiting him and would stab him in the back like the snake he was as soon as he had the chance – hadn't given him a hint of the satisfaction he'd thought it would. Seeing Itachi dead at his feet hadn't made anything better; the pain didn't go away – in only intensified when he realised he had been crying as he dealt the final blow and understood that he had never actually managed to make himself hate Itachi, the aching emptiness within him had made him feel like he was rotting inside, the loneliness he had felt nearly all of his life suddenly intensified till he felt like he was suffocating – he really was the last Uchiha now – and shock of having actually achieved what had always seemed so impossible gave him the sense of hanging over an infinitely deep chasm. The one thing that had made him keep himself alive after seeing the brother he had worshipped kill everyone he loved, that had driven him onward and it was gone and what was there to live for after that? He was still alive – something Sasuke had certainly not expected – he had the rest of his life ahead of him and he had absolutely no idea what to do about it. He had been aimless.

Picking himself up and putting himself back together into some semblance of working order after that had been a chore, but it had allowed him another chance at life. He had repaired some things and rearranged a few more and Sasuke had looked at the world again with (somewhat) new eyes. Or new spectacles. Or maybe they were the eyes he'd had when he was younger, before that awful day when the world had been (relatively) simple and trouble-free and he was using them again. But he had definitely changed for the better.

xoxoxoxo

It wasn't long before they were out of the house and making their way through the many specialist ninja equipment shops. They were quick to find what they needed, having gotten accustomed to certain styles and knowing what they were most comfortable with, though they were capable of using almost any kind of weaponry efficiently.

Once they had purchased everything they required, bags bulging with specialised paraphernalia (it had been a while since they had last been able to do this), they headed to one of the several food stalls that lined streets and were ready to service hungry shoppers. Naruto's insistence on lunch becoming a date meant that they took their take-away meals (ramen for Naruto, of course, and special rice-balls and meat dumplings for Sasuke) to the park and sat down under the shade of a large leafy tree to eat. It was like having a picnic or something, he'd said adamantly. And Sasuke had decided it was easier to indulge, though, secretly and even if he would never admit to it, he liked these dates too. Naruto enjoyed being romantic and his enthusiasm carried his partner away too.

There was something nice about sitting close as they ate and talked about their plans, however short-term or work orientated they were, in the park, surrounded by all sorts of people who had decided to spend their day in similar manner. Something mundane and special at the same time. It was the sort of carefree outing that Sasuke had often wished to have with his family when he had been younger. He let his eyes wander, inattentively studying the people around them, as he finished his meal and Naruto started in on his third bowl of pork ramen, lending an absent minded ear to the words coming out of the blond's mouth. This was the end of the last period of peace and relaxation they would have together in a while now, as they had applied to take most of the leave they'd acquired at the same time, so he wanted to savour it before embarking on the hectic stretch of missions lay ahead of them.

There was an old couple on an outing with their grandchildren, probably, watching indulgently as the two young children, looking around five years of age, gabbled and tried to engage them in games invented through over-active imaginations. A young woman, probably on her lunch hour break, sat alone on a bench with a bento on her lap. A mixed group of civilian school-aged children, alternating between studying and fooling about, lay on the grass in a loosely formed circle. A young couple, constantly touching and kissing each other, cuddled together.

Sasuke frowned at the last scene, feeling uncomfortable with their actions for several reasons. How could they act in such a manner is a public place? So many people could see them, children included. It wasn't right. Those kinds of practices were meant for private places, behind closed doors. And it made him feel awkward and uneasy to see those youths doing it so easily and enjoying it so evidently, feelings that had been resurfacing frequently since the failed attempts at intimacy between him and Naruto. He shifted his eyes away and back to Naruto, not wanting to dwell on the feelings that were suddenly building up inside him at the sight.

He realised then that Naruto had stopped talking and had been silent for a while, turning only to find that blue gaze resting on him. He couldn't help his cheeks from colouring a little at the thought that he hadn't even realised he was being watched.

"What?"

"Nothing." Naruto just smiled back at him.

Sasuke looked down, not quite understanding what the churning feeling in his chest was meant to be.

* * *

They walked to the Hokage's Tower together and when Naruto went inside for his briefing, Sasuke turned to the hospital building near by, deciding that seeing Sakura would help him while away the hour or two Naruto would take to finish. She had been busy at the hospital when not on missions and their free time hadn't coordinated well. The original Team Seven hadn't seen as much of each other as they would have liked to recently.

When he climbed the stairs to the floor Sakura was in the most and asked the receptionist at the desk where he could find her, he was lucky to find Sakura in the staff room doing nothing of importance. Well, she was trying to balance a pencil on her nose. Sasuke raised an eyebrow questioningly and cleared his throat to gain her attention. The pencil dropped.

"Oh hey, Sasuke! Good to see you! What's going on?" Seeing the raised eyebrow, she sighed, realising she would have to explain herself. "I'm bored. I've finished rounds and now all I have left is to fill in forms and do write ups for the records. It's mindless and boring and I'm trying to avoid doing it for as long as I can." She nudged the surprisingly tall stack of paperwork in front of her on the coffee table and glared at it hatefully.

"That looks like a lot. How long have you been putting it off for?"

"Uh, hehehe…a week?"

Sasuke stared blandly at her.

"You don't understand how boring it is! It's not urgent anyway. It just has to be done – eventually. Anyway, come sit down and talk to me and help me put it off for a little while longer. I promise I'll get it done later. How's Naruto? He's going off on a mission soon, isn't he?"

"Yeah. I'll be leaving a little after he does. I've been getting some pretty simple missions lately but they're saying that they might promote me. I could be let into ANBU soon, which means they trust me now."

"Really?! That's awesome Sasuke, I'm so happy for you. It definitely took them long enough – I mean your circumstances were justified. It was pretty annoying that they held out so long and made you work your way up from gennin so slowly."

"Yeah, but it'll be alright now. They've always known how high my level of skill was." There was only a tiny hint of arrogance in his tone – he was speaking the truth after all.

Sakura laughed and reached over to wrap her arms around his shoulders. "You know what? This is worthy of a celebratory toast. We should go out and have a cocktail or something – okay, maybe a cocktail for me and something more manly for you." She waved placating in the face of his scowl. Just because he was in a relationship with another man, didn't mean he was a girl and Sakura knew it. "Anyway, anyway, I've been meaning to talk to you about that Certain Event." She lowered her voice to a hushed whisper while she looked at the shadows in the room somewhat suspiciously.

Sasuke raised his eyebrow again. Sometimes he could swear that working in the hospital and under Tsunade was doing strange things to her mind. Either that or one of the odder members of the Original Rookie Nine had rubbed off on her a little too much.

"You mean, Naruto's Birthday Party?" He winced a little at her loud shushing sound and talked over her, "Sakura, you don't have to whisper or talk in code words. Naruto isn't here. No-one is and pretty much everyone that isn't Naruto knows about it. Also, the dobe is stupid – I promise he won't catch on to what we're doing."

"You're sure?" Sakura wrung her hands a little nervously. "I mean, I know he's dense, but he's also unpredictable. You never know when he might have one of those bright flashes or find out by accident."

"I've got that covered. Anyway, I ordered a cake – snacks and beverages, I'll get closer to the day – and got streamers and decorations, which you'll have to help me put up because I don't know what to do with them – are you still free on that Friday?"

"Yep. And I've told everyone about it and where they have to be too. The distraction is apparently being perfected as we speak – Kiba, Shika and Chouji have _that_ mission. I think it's either going to be a guys day out thing or one of them is going to have a crisis of self. I don't know what that means…."

The door banged open at that moment, admitting two female nurses, a blonde and a redhead, and one of Sakura's fellow med-nin, a tall brunette, all engrossed in their gossipy conversation. All the girls were wearing hospital scrubs and where the nurses were carrying a few charts the other nin was carrying a stack of papers almost as tall as she was with some measure of difficulty and looked comically like the stack itself had legs.

"You dumped him?! No way! He seemed like such a nice guy!" The redhead seemed genuinely shocked.

"Well, that's what I thought too, but sometimes when things seem too good to be true – they are." The blonde nodded sagely as she said, as if dispensing valuable advice.

"But why? Where did he lose points?" The med-nin's voice carried out from behind the stack as she walked into the room.

"He sucked in bed. Like, actually sucked. He just kept pumping, for like half an hour – didn't even change rhythm – and it was so boring. He couldn't even get me off; I had to just fake it in the end. I am _so_ not calling him back. It was worse than when I lost my virginity. Actually, I don't even know why I liked him in the first place – I think he's just another one of those pretty faces." The blonde pursed her lips and shook her head to emphasise her comments.

"Seriously – the _same _rhythm for that long? Wow, that's bad. Actually, that's unbelievable. You could get better sex with a vibrator. I don't blame you for letting him go. I mean, a girl has urges to satisfy too, you know?" The redhead patted her friend on the shoulder as if to console her and reassure her that everybody made mistakes.

"That sucks Rika." The brunette put her load down on the table and heaved a sigh of relief as she sat down. "Oh hey, Sakura. I see you can't put off the paperwork any longer either, huh? Rika had another unsuccessful date last night – Masaki has definitely been crossed off the list! How's it going between you and that Lee boy anyway? You thinking of taking the relationship any further yet?" From the way Sakura blushed at that and stuttered a little, Sasuke knew exactly what that meant. "Oh and who's this?" She finally caught sight of Sasuke and looked at him curiously, with a hint of interest in her gaze.

"Hey guys. I'm sorry to hear it didn't work out, Rika – I'm sure you'll find a guy who'll do right by you in and out of bed eventually. Lee and I have barely got to the kissing and holding hands stage so you can wait a while before you ask me that question again, Taki. And _this_ is my old team mate, Sasuke Uchiha. Sasuke, these are Rika, Kiku and Takiko." She gestured to the blonde, the redhead and the brunette in turn.

"Sasuke? As in _the_ Sasuke?!" The cry resonated with three voices combined. It was then Sasuke thought it best that he leave. He had always trusted his instincts and right now they were yelling at him to _run away_.

"I have…things to do. Bye Sakura."

As he left, Sasuke couldn't help but feel a little unsure of himself. The conversation that the girls were having when they'd walked into the staff common room wouldn't stop replaying itself in his head. Was sex really that important an aspect of a relationship? Was it really that big a deal?

* * *

Naruto left early in the morning the next day, making Sasuke stir from his own sleep as he went about dressing and preparing himself, re-checking his pack for the last time. Sasuke watched him move about the bedroom with half-lidded eyes, rolling into the small dip on Naruto's side of the bed, waiting for the small nod Naruto made when he was finally satisfied with the arrangement of his pack. When it came, he smiled a little in amusement in knowing his partner's quirks and as Naruto turned and moved towards him. He closed his eyes, trying to pretend he was dozing and waited for the kiss he knew was going to come before Naruto left. When it didn't, he opened his eyes, a little confused. He found Naruto looking down at him, a leering grin etched across his face as his blue eyes roved over him playfully.

"You know, you look hot when you're all stretched out in bed like that. It's like you're just waiting for me to come and pounce."

Sasuke just raised his eyebrows in the same unflappable way he always had and rose to his knees.

"Yeah, well, I don't like to be kept waiting." He put his arms around Naruto's neck and pulled down so he could kiss him on the cheek and into a tight embrace, where Naruto returned the kiss almost as chastely as it had been given. "Do it well."

Naruto grinned wide as he untangled himself from their hug, and picked up his pack. He slung it over his shoulder, chuunin vest still unzipped in that haphazard way of his and threw an "I always do!" behind him as he left the house.

* * *

Shutting the front door behind him, Sasuke headed straight for the shower, wanting to wash off the travel dust from his mission. It had only been a minor mission; hardly needing someone of Sasuke's ability, except that the document that needed to be delivered had been of fairly great importance, had to be delivered with haste and had quite a distance to travel. He hadn't needed a team and hadn't needed to stay for a reply. His report with the Hokage had been brief and now he was home, back before Naruto returned though he had left after. Naruto was due back the next day and Sasuke was looking forward to seeing him again.

Once he was clean and had had something to eat, he wandered around the apartment looking for something to do that wouldn't take too much effort. The apartment was in a rather untidy state from both Naruto's and Sasuke's pre-mission packing sessions and Sasuke didn't like to leave things in such a way if he could help it.

Of course, once he'd started that task, he found himself tidying and cleaning throughout the house, unable to leave even the little things he knew weren't that bad. He'd been going about the work somewhat mindlessly for about an hour or so when he accidentally managed to tear a bag of soldier pills open, wanting to put them in his pouch in preparation for his next mission, making them roll around the room and under various pieces of furniture. He'd put a little too much effort in opening the plastic wrapping. Sighing, he dropped to his knees to search them out, reaching under places he couldn't see with wide sweeps of his arm. Well, at least he knew how many he was looking for – there were only six in each bag.

The search took longer than he expected. He found two under the couch, one that had managed to roll into the kitchen area, one that had somehow managed to roll under the door into the bathroom, and one under the small coffee table in the middle of the room. There was just one left and he was convinced it was behind the weapons cabinet they kept in the living room – he had searched everywhere else. He peered down into the narrow darkness and huffed as pulled the heavy wooden frame away from the wall. And there it was…along with a few pieces of paper and some magazines.

Unable to curb his curiousity, he put the little red soldier pill into the pouch with the others absent-mindedly, and reached in to see what else may have fallen behind the cabinet.

Immediately, his stomach plummeted as he saw the covers, the lack of settled dust and well worn condition they were in – as if the pages had been leafed through rather frequently. Breathing shakily, he couldn't stop himself paging through himself, seeing the pictures of beautiful, slim men and pretty, buxom women lounging in provocative positions and seductive poses with alluring looks on their faces. Naruto had looked through these pages recently, he realised. Naruto had looked through them _too_ often and too recently. Because of Sasuke. Because Sasuke couldn't give him the satisfaction he needed. It made him wonder what was wrong with him, why he couldn't do something that was so natural and came so easily to everyone else. It wasn't right. Usually he was the one that things came easily to – he wasn't used to struggling with himself, wasn't used to not understanding and it frustrated him. He needed to find a way to make it right, to fix whatever it was that was wrong him and get rid of whatever strange block was in his head that was stopping him from wanting and enjoying sex.

Sighing, Sasuke put them back where he had found them and manoeuvred the large antique cabinet back into place carefully. He wouldn't confront Naruto about this – it was an issue he wasn't quite sure he was ready to face yet himself. He wasn't even sure what sort of answer or solution could solve it so, for now, he would leave it. He would try his best to forget and pretend that he hadn't seen anything.

* * *

The mission had been a trying one and Naruto and his team were only too glad to be back within the safe confines of the Leaf Village. Their target had been fast and sly, dangerously deadly and confident in his abilities. He had led the Konoha team in merry, winding circles for days, taunting them by slipping through their grasps time and time again and nearly defeating them one time too many. He had injured Kiba badly at one point and Naruto thanked whatever higher power or maybe just serendipity that the knife hadn't made it's mark just two inches lower and a little to the right in the dog-boy's heart. However, there was a reason that they had all been worthy of ANBU and their level of skill combined with the fact that they outnumbered the enemy four-to-one eventually meant that there was one less S-class criminal causing havoc in the world.

They were all still a little wired up from the action and Naruto itched to release the pent up energy in a physical way. He'd run all the way from the Hokage Tower, after giving his report, in the dying sunset, unable to turn off the silence of his footsteps despite the fact that the stealth was no longer needed. He could still feel the paranoia that came with mission mode making him jump to the ready or turn for cover in the blink of an eye. It was taking all he had to resist those ingrained reflexes. He needed to get home and back to Sasuke. He needed to hold Sasuke and make sure he was alright The mission had affected him more than he had realised before. It had been a long time since Naruto could be compared to anything like the 'dead last' he had been when he was younger. He was powerful now, had grown to know himself and know how to use his power and that of the Kyuubi inside him in the most effective ways and that had made him near invincible in recent years. There weren't many who could outmatch him – Sasuke was one of the few who had the honour of being on that list – and the fact that someone nearly had just a day past had shaken the blond considerably. He had very nearly been unable to come home to Sasuke. And he wasn't sure what that would have done to someone who had lost so much already.

He needed to see Sasuke and make sure that he was alright – that he had come back from his own mission unscathed. He needed to reassure himself and his partner that they were both okay. He couldn't imagine what would have happened if it had been Sasuke in that position. Naruto had spent too much of his life running after Sasuke trying to save him from every possible danger – including himself – to be capable of seeing the Uchiha in any more. To put him in any more. It was the reason they weren't allowed to be on the same team anymore – the rules against fraternisation. He cared too much about Sasuke now to be able to do his job properly if there was even the slightest chance that his partner could be threatened. They were lovers, in the emotional sense at least if not in the physical capacity.

He climbed in through the living room window, picking the lock and almost but not quite surprising Sasuke as he came out of the kitchen. His body moved almost of its own accord, unfurling from its crouch on the ground before the windowsill to its full height to then engulf Sasuke in his embrace. He held him tight for a few long moments and, before he even realised what he was doing, he had Sasuke's face in his hands and he was kissing him – long and slow and deep. It was heaven. Sasuke tasted sweet and warm and there was a hint of spice from the food had just eaten. He moaned into it and buried one hand in that thick, black hair while the other went to the small of Sasuke's back to pull him closer and press their bodies flush against each other.

It took him a little too long to realise that Sasuke wasn't returning the kiss – that Sasuke had tensed up in his hold as if it was taking all he had to just stay there and not push Naruto away. That brought a hot rush of emotion – guilt, shame, hurt and rejection – through his body, coiling in the pit of his stomach. And over it all was frustration.

He needed this, damn it! He needed the physical contact and the reassurance – the intimacy. Why couldn't Sasuke give that to him?! Wasn't he good enough? Did Sasuke not find him attractive?! What was it that was stopping Sasuke from doing what came so easily to so many others? Even Hinata, for all her timidity and focus on being proper, hadn't been so hesitant to lose her virginity.

Other couples went home and fucked each other stupid because that was how much they wanted and needed each other. Naruto and Sasuke on the other hand – everything they did was chaste. They had never even lain down naked together. When they slept there was always some form of clothing to separate them. Naruto desperately wanted to strip the both of them down till they were completely bare and press their bodies together from head to toe. To study and know every inch of that pale skin like he knew his mind – like he knew how he fought and how he moved, what he liked to eat and drink and wear, what he thought about this and that from different flavours of ramen to international politics. But he couldn't. Because Sasuke wasn't comfortable enough to do that for some reason.

His hands curled around Sasuke's shoulders, gripping them tight. He held him for a moment, allowing the length of his arms to create a distance between them and just looked.

"Sorry. I forgot – you can't do that, can you?" His voice was clipped and insincere. He knew he was hurting Sasuke's feelings, but he couldn't bring himself to take it back or care too much. His own pain made itself felt more keenly than that which was reflected in Sasuke's eyes.

He pushed the Uchiha away, watched him stumble back a little and hang his head with dispassionate eyes and turned, heading for the bathroom.

* * *

So what did you guys think? Feedback would be loved and greatly appreciated - and I love concrit dearly. Hopefully, since the Christmas holidays start in like two weeks, the next chapter won't take as long to come. I'm thinking there will be about six chapters on the whole. But anyway - review? Please? I shall give you psychic love over the internet in return for your thoughts. XDD


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Being 'A'

Author: artfreak (Lady Ifrit on )

Ratings/Warnings: R

Genre: Romance

A/N: I am so so so sorry for being late with this chapter and I hope that those of you I kept waiting aren't too mad at me. I am appalled at myself for being so late – I said January and now it's late February. To be honest, the holidays were a lot more hectic that I had expected – my family moved house just after Christmas and I had six teeth extracted so I can have braces (DX wah! My teeth! My smile!) and then we got given two new projects as soon as I got back to uni and the deadlines have all been so close together, it was unbelievable. But excuses, excuses, right?

Also, to those of you who reviewed last chapter – thank you so much. 14 reviews! That's the most I've ever had! Your reviews really motivated me to write more and reading them cheered me up a lot when I was down and in pain. I really enjoy hearing what you guys think of what's going on, your reactions and it really helps me when you tell me which parts you liked and which parts you weren't sure about. So thanks, guys. Anyway, I'll stop rambling now. The plot is finally moving! So read on!

Chapter 3

There was no denying that sex was part of what he had looked forward to when his relationship with Sasuke had heightened. He was a healthy growing male, as red-blooded as any – perhaps even more because of Kyuubi's shared impulses – still in the late stages of his teens and therefore still quite hormonal. It hadn't been the only thing, of course, but he had figured that it would be the most different addition to their relationship that would change and merge with the previous dynamic.

As friends (and the best of those at that), they had always been close and not much had changed in those terms, or with interaction, with the status of their relationship. They had shared an apartment for quite a while, though now they had moved into the same room and bed. They touched more now, though Naruto had always been a tactile person but now Sasuke tended to lean into it more rather than just accept it. Sex, however, hadn't quite managed to come into the picture. That bungled first attempt a few weeks back had been the closest they had gotten, even out of the several efforts that had come after, and Sasuke hadn't yet been able to overcome whatever it was that was stopping him from letting go.

He sighed as the warm water washed over him, allowing the heat of the water to seep into his skin. Closing his eyes and leaning back against the cool tiled wall of the shower stall, he let his hands wander over himself, stroking his tanned skin and touching and fondling himself. His body, already slightly flushed from his anger, became hotter and the need inside him grew ever larger. As he reached down to grasp his manhood, fisting it lightly, he wished Sasuke was there with him and it was _his _paler hands on him touching him that way. In the darkness behind his closed eyelids, he imagined it was.

The Sasuke in his mind didn't have nearly so many inhibitions as the real one. He touched Naruto without fear and perhaps more than a hint of curiosity and possibly a touch of experience. He caught Naruto in his dark eyes, trapping him with their intensity. He touched Naruto with soft and gentle hands, teased him and seduced him. He kissed him passionately, running long-fingered hands fervently over whatever parts of Naruto's sculpted body he could reach – through his hair, over his chest, his shoulders, his back and down to squeeze his ass-cheeks – allowing Naruto to do the same to him and letting him get away with groping him copiously, enjoying the feel of the blond's hands over him.

Then he'd pull away – only an inch or so – to lick his kiss-swollen lips, raise his eyebrow in that smug, aristocratic manner of his and smirk at him, wearing that air of superiority like a king's cape. He was sensual and direct and there was nothing shy about his touch. In his fantasies, Sasuke pressed himself close against Naruto letting him feel his own body's desire for the blond. _That_ always made Naruto catch his breath and made something warm and prideful grow inside him. That intense gaze on him, lustful and needy, and that hard, lean body pressed tight against his, hot and ready, was what Naruto had dreamt of for too long.

The Sasuke in his mind was a positive wildcat during sex and the passion and ease with which he did everything else was apparent during this as well. Uchiha's never did anything by halves and Sasuke was no exception – he was wild and unfettered and demanding and threw himself into the act. It was in much the same way Naruto had often seen him fight and train and practice a new (and probably particularly difficult) jutsu or technique. He pushed himself at the other's body, making Naruto work harder; demanding more pleasure and Naruto couldn't help but lose himself in the sensation. That was what he had envisioned sex with Sasuke to be like. He'd imagined it quite often, in fact, and now the Sasuke in his mind was almost as incredibly well-fleshed out as the real one.

His body achieved release in a peak of white-hot delight and Naruto was left panting softly under a fall of warm water, watching the evidence of his self-gratification wash away down the drain. He slumped, feeling vaguely ashamed and frustrated at his actions and his circumstance. Quickly turning off the water before it got cold, he hurried to step out of the shower.

Sasuke was his romantic partner and it was a little galling to know that Naruto couldn't go to him with his needs. And it hurt that Sasuke didn't feel comfortable enough with him to be able to let himself go that much. Sex was a primal and instinctual act, one that Naruto loved to take part in and to him it wasn't just the physical pleasure that counted, though he thought that was fun too. He liked the closeness it gave him in every way – physically and emotionally. Spiritually as well, though he was never sure if he bought into that stuff.

It couldn't be that Sasuke felt they didn't know each other well enough – they had known each other since early childhood, way back in those lazy days at the Academy. Not only that, but it was now a widely known fact that Sasuke and Naruto were each others' most important person and had been since the age of twelve. They may not have understood each other completely, their philosophies, experiences and outlooks on life so different they almost clashed, but they knew and trusted each other the most; almost better than they knew themselves. He _knew_ that Sasuke trusted him with his life and now even with his heart.

Naruto thought he had loved Sasuke long before he himself had realised it. When Sasuke had left the village, hell bent on obtaining revenge and gaining the power he thought Konoha could never teach him to do so, it had hurt Naruto deeply. And he had spent years of his life simultaneously trying to erase that pain and running after the Uchiha in order to bring him back. When he had come back, completely of his own volition, for Naruto it had been inevitable that they should finally be together, because somewhere along the line, after Sasuke had left, Naruto had realised that the bond they shared was far deeper than he had first thought. So why couldn't he let himself go with Naruto of all people?

He remembered the last time he had needed to service himself – Sasuke had managed to walk in on him accidentally and they had both been surprised and embarrassed. The look on Sasuke's face had been one of shock coupled with a heavy dose of discomfort. Naruto had never experienced anything like that in any of his previous relationships and it made him question himself.

Wiping the fog off the mirror, he gazed at his reflection, wondering what Sasuke saw when he looked at him. Did he not find him attractive enough? He'd grown a lot from the awkward child he had been – a veritable ugly duckling. He'd gained height, muscle and grace through the hard and intensive training he'd gone through during those in-between years. His body was now hard and sculpted, still as bronzed by the sun as it had always been, his limbs no longer seeming like gangly extensions of a short, scrawny frame. The face that looked back at him through the glass was more chiselled now as well, having lost the puppy fat in his cheeks that had made him look chubby in his younger days. As a ninja, he was formidable and he was a far cry from the 'dead last' he had been known as before. In short, he had grown into himself.

But the thought that Sasuke didn't find him appealing brought back old insecurities and bad feelings of the sort he hadn't felt in such magnitude since graduating from the Academy. It made him think of the days when he used to be shunned by the whole village, where the children mocked him and those old enough to remember couldn't seem to see past the fact that he was the Kyuubi's container. That heavy feeling in his chest seemed too much like rejection.

He knew he had hurt Sasuke's feelings with his words and actions and the guilt wouldn't ease. That voice inside his mind that wasn't Kyuubi but was probably his conscience was shouting at him. _How could you do that to someone you love, you selfish little fuck?_ But he wouldn't be able to apologise now – his own pain eclipsed everything else and he felt it more deeply than remorse at his behaviour. If he wanted his apology to be sincere, then it was going to have to wait a while to come.

Taking his time as he dried himself off, he changed into his night-clothes and left the bathroom. He headed to the kitchen first, reaching for the fridge for something he could heat up quickly. Instead he found a few covered up dishes of food left for him on the counter. The sight soothed his pain and cooled his anger a little, making the guilt grow inside. He shook his head a little and uncovered the containers, heating them up a little and consuming them in the same way he ate everything – by inhaling.

When he entered the bedroom, he could see that Sasuke was already under the covers, on his side and turned away. Again the guilt made itself known fiercely, but Naruto pushed it down. He didn't want to feel that right now. He climbed in and turned so that his back was turned to Sasuke, almost mirroring the other's position, making sure there was a good distance between them. Sleep took a while to come.

* * *

When he woke up the next morning, it was to the sight of Sasuke making his final preparations for his missions. In a reverse of the morning Naruto had left for his last mission, he watched as Sasuke shrugged on his vest and checked his pockets a final time, ticking off his mental checklist once more and knowing it was the last thing he did in that familiar ritual. He sat up, drawing Sasuke's attention to him, accidentally catching each other's eyes. And for a moment, as they looked at each other, Naruto thought that his partner seemed lost. There was a look in dark eyes that Naruto hadn't seen very often for a long time. Then it was gone, Naruto looked away and when he turned back Sasuke looked the way he always had – cool, calm, confident.

But as they stood there staring at each other a moment longer, he realised they were both of them unsure of how to act now. The memory of last night still made Naruto feel a little upset and, from Sasuke's stance, it wasn't just him.

On the other hand, however, Naruto didn't want that awkwardness to be the last thing they remembered of each other and didn't want that tension to distract either of them on a crucial mission. They had made a promise to each other that they would try to keep the air between them as clear as possible and if they had a fight, they would try to resolve their problems as soon as they could afterwards. A ninja's life was a dangerous one and, as skilled as they were, the missions they were sent on were hardly ever simple or easy anymore. While they trusted each other's abilities and level of competence to know they could take care of themselves, they knew there was still the chance that one of them wouldn't return from a mission. They had learnt the error to over-confidence early in the game.

With that in mind, Naruto knew he couldn't let Sasuke leave without doing what they had always done before either of them embarked on a mission. Levering himself off of the bed and taking quick strides across the room, he enveloped his partner in a tight embrace, avoiding looking into his eyes. He felt Sasuke still and tense a moment before his arms came up to rest hesitantly across the blond's broad shoulders and around his neck. Naruto closed his eyes and took a moment to just breathe Sasuke in before he lowered his head to kiss the Uchiha's jaw.

"Do it well." His voice was unusually quiet.

He felt Sasuke take a somewhat shaky breath, something between a sigh and perhaps the softest of laughs, before responding, "I always do."

And then he was out of his arms and the sound of their front door closing as he left resounded through the house. Naruto wished he had been able to make himself look into Sasuke's eyes properly.

* * *

An escort mission to guard a high-ranking Fire Country dignitary to the Water Country, was more than just an escort mission. The fact that Sasuke was being considered for ANBU, not on terms of ability but behaviour and loyalty made it more of a test, for the team as a whole. The mission was important enough to tip the scales either way and the opinion of the client's word would carry substantial weight. Had Sasuke been the same person he was a few years ago, angry and frustrated at life, he wouldn't have cared overly much – he would have got the job done, more because the thought of failure stung, than anything else, but he would have done it on his terms. Now, Sasuke knew he had to be on his best behaviour, though what that was, was a concept very different than what he was used to. He was going to have to fall back on half-remembered words of advice from a woman who seemed to exist a lifetime ago in his eyes – his mother.

As the team waited just inside the gates of Hidden Leaf village, the recollection of getting ready for a family gathering at the New Year festival resounded in his mind, his mother tying his sash behind him and trying in vain to make his hair lie flat.

"Now remember, Sasuke dear, try and smile at everyone. We're the hosts so you must greet everyone and ask them how they are. Be polite, don't speak out of turn and you must call them properly by their titles – if you recognise them, its 'uncle' or 'aunty' or 'grandmother' or 'grandfather', alright? If you don't, then you must call them 'Sir' or 'Madam'. But don't worry, darling, and stick close to me or your brother, OK?"

Of course, Sasuke had been about five years old at the time and those rules would have to be modified a little, but Sasuke hadn't waited on general social etiquette for a long time and the behaviour definitely wouldn't come naturally. He had enough to think about already. He hoped he wouldn't have to talk to this dignitary person very much – with any luck, not at all.

He looked sideways at the rest of his team, wondering how they were dealing with the situation, noting the lack of the usual quiet banter. He could see Konohamaru seated on against the wall with his legs spread out in front of him, flipping a kunai between his hands in somewhat restless boredom. Ten-Ten was stretching. And Shino looked much the same as Shino always did, except, the bugs under his coat seemed to be moving around a lot more than they usually did, and so Sasuke could assume that he was feeling a little nervous and restless too. Understandable, considering reports of their performance for this mission would be heavily influenced by a civilian's opinion. Having only seen the man once for the briefest moments across a crowded room when he had been in his official robes, he knew they were all imagining and expecting the worst of his character.

"Hello then! I see you're all ready to go. I do apologise for being late – my dear wife, bless her, was trying to fit more food into my pack. But we can be on our way now. You are expecting me, are you not? Escort for Seijirou Asegawa?"

The speaker was a short, greying old man, dressed in well-worn travelling clothes of the finest quality. He had an open, good-natured face and the lines visible were from laughter as well as age. The pack he carried easily on his own back seemed well stocked and almost professionally done, as if he made trips such as these fairly often and he did, as he had said, look very much ready to go.

Sasuke looked from the old man to his team-mates and saw the almost palpable relief visible in their stances. This man wasn't going to be one of those pompous elitist men, full of their own self-importance and expecting to travel in luxury. He might even be able to keep up a good steady pace. And he didn't seem the sort to tell them how to do their jobs. Perhaps this wouldn't be so bad after all.

* * *

As it turned out, Seijirou Asegawa wasn't the nightmare they had all been imagining at all. In fact, he was quite the opposite. He was astute and knowledgeable, talkative without being loud or overwhelming and it was clear to see exactly why those in the governing body of Fire Country trusted the man enough to allow him to act as ambassador. He would handle any situation with tact, care and sincerity.

During the journey to the edge and beyond the borders of the Fire Country, Seijirou regaled them all with stories of his somewhat adventurous youth, his love for hiking and birdwatching – which explained a lot about his attire and his well packed bag – and his vast knowledge of the flora and fauna of the forests surrounding much of the land around Konoha and covering the rest of the country. There was even a tome in his pack – he had confessed that he hadn't been able to resist adding it in; even knowing that it was unnecessary weight – that detailed birdlife indigenous to the Water Country and even what they might find on the way there. He had also engaged each of them in light-hearted conversation, being careful not pry into things he shouldn't and didn't need to know and, most importantly to Sasuke, never brought up the Uchiha's previous defection from the village or seemed to judge him for it. Sasuke wondered, somewhat whimsically, if this was what it was like to have a grandfather.

When they arrived in Water Country, the team was left to their own devices for a while. The talks that Seijirou had come for would take a few days to settle and he would be involved in a rigorous schedule of meetings and gatherings for most of his time there. They would spend their time in shifts, with one or two of them acting as his bodyguards depending on the type and size of his meetings while the others wandered through the town as civilians, scouting and exploring the attractions.

It was one such day, as he had been wandering through the marketplace and shopping district, that Sasuke stumbled upon a rather interesting shop stall. He had already visited the weapons and armaments stores that served the ninja of Kiri as well as the samurai of Water Country and had found a few pieces that caught his eye in terms of workmanship and style. After making his purchases, Sasuke had wandered towards the streets that sold herbs and medicines. They hadn't encountered many problems during their passage but there were still a few items missing from his emergency field med-kit that needed to be replaced, for the sake of prudence.

Now as he walked down the street filled with various vendors, some calling attention from shop fronts, others from behind moveable stalls and some even with their goods just spread out on a thin blanket, he couldn't help but gawk at everything he saw. The noxious fumes from several potions and brews mixed with sweet perfumes and Sasuke knew, without a doubt, that a man could find absolutely any concoction to serve any imaginable purpose on this street. Konoha was nothing like this.

As he meandered through the strangely ordered chaos of the drug street, still trying to find a place that sold the items for his med-kit that he was looking for, he heard a woman cry out to those that passed her by. She stood in front of a dingy, little shop which lay squashed between those on either side, its window crammed with all sorts of bottles and containers. From what he could see of the inside of the shop through the narrow doorway, the inside was much the same. The speaker herself was a middle-aged woman with frizzy hair, held back, only somewhat successfully, with a million pins and a dumpy figure. She was wearing an apron over her working clothes, her sleeves rolled up for business and her voice was pretty much the only thing remarkable about her – it was loud and there was something there that made her very convincing.

"For matters of the mind and heart come to us and we can solve any problem you have. Are you having trouble sleeping? We can help you dream again. Is something causing you stress? We'll make you calm. Are you sad? We'll give you happiness in a bottle. Trying to lose weight? We can help that diet of yours. Trouble with love? We'll fix it. Problems in the bedroom? Come to us and we promise that neither you nor your lover will ever be so satisfied again. Yes, come to us; let us help you and we'll show you miracles!"

Sasuke turned to look at the woman and then to the entrance of the shop. A moment's pause, a hesitation of sorts, and then he walked in.

* * *

When Shikamaru had intercepted Naruto and his team on their way back from a training mission in the woods of Konoha and said that he needed help, Naruto had been eager to solve whatever problem his friend had. Of course he's spared a moment to whine in his head: '_but it's my birthday! Nothing bad is allowed to happen!_

When he'd been informed that it was Chouji that needed help – and he was one of the more level-headed people that Naruto knew – the team had followed after Shikamaru, urgency colouring their footsteps and adding haste. Nara had led them to a barbecue house – one of Chouji's favourite restaurants and a place that he came to, both when he wanted to celebrate something amazing and also on particularly bad occasions. Naruto remembered the time he had come here more than a year ago, after an especially horrific mission had killed one of Chouji's chuunin team-mates. That had been an awful time and Naruto dearly hoped that the reason for Chouji's eating wasn't anything so bad.

The sign over the restaurant proudly proclaimed 'BBQ BANZAI!!' in letters matching the overly colourful façade. The inside of the restaurant was a little less obnoxious, the lighting soothing and adding to the open, friendly atmosphere. Chouji was sitting at one of the larger round tables, an enormous spread of food before him, and he was eating like he'd just survived a famine and was sure the world would end tomorrow.

"He's been like this for a while now. He won't tell me what's wrong. Normally I'd just leave it and let him know that I'm there when he wants a friend and if he wants help, but I don't think I should let this go on too long. And I'm not that good at pep talks so you're going to have to talk to him." Shikamaru informed them as they drew closer to the table.

Normally Chouji was a very healthy person – he just ate Akimichi sized portions. Gone were their gennin days when Chouji had eaten anything and everything – he saved the junk for the extremely good or bad occasions. It had been a while since he'd eaten like he was trying to give himself a heart attack and now, Naruto was worried. With a capital 'W'. So worried, in fact, that he missed the look that passed between Shikamaru and Kiba. He immediately sat down beside the ravenous Akimichi and set himself to the task of trying to find out what was wrong.

Chouji, it seemed, was inconsolable. He merely shook his head between mouthfuls of food as Naruto tried to pry the reason for his sorrow into the open and Naruto grew steadily more alarmed. As the hours passed, Ino and Neji seemed to sense that there was nothing they could do to help for now and had put off their need to return home for as long as they could. Neji had commitments to his family and Ino had another engagement that she needed to get ready for. Naruto smiled at them as they left, thankful for the time that they had stayed and knowing that they trusted him and Kiba and Shikamaru to help Chouji.

At long last it seemed that Chouji had finished all that was on the table and had eaten every dish on the menu twice over, including the desserts. He sat for a while, digesting, with a solemn look upon his face. Kiba, his face crumpled with concern leaned over to suggest,

"Let's go for a walk. It'll help the food settle and we could use some fresh air. All the barbecue smoke is making my eyes itch."

It was a good distraction and Chouji, mindful of Kiba's still ongoing recovery from the last mission's wounds even in his depressed funk, quickly agreed to leave the place, casting one last sorrowful glance at the table and empty dishes.

They walked aimlessly, letting Shikamaru lead the way most of the time, though sometimes the small group found themselves following Naruto or Kiba and were never quite sure where they were headed. They each took turns trying to find out what was wrong with Chouji, sometimes guessing, sometimes plainly asking and sometimes just trying to make him laugh to distract him from whatever was causing him distress. Somehow, they found themselves at the steps to the apartment Naruto shared with Sasuke.

"Oh hey, I know!" Kiba exclaimed loudly, with the air of someone who'd just had the most amazing idea in the world, "Naruto, you can make Chouji some of that super, amazing hot chocolate – the one with the rum in it! We'll watch that mercenary chick movie and Chouji will have to tell us what's wrong! That movie and the hot chocolate together make everyone's deepest, darkest secrets spill out so it'll work for sure!"

He grabbed Naruto's key out of his hand and opened the door, leaving the others with no choice but to follow him inside. Naruto hung up his coat last and took of his shoes, and he had a second to wonder why the place was so dark as he flipped the switch before he was ambushed from all sides with a thoroughly united cry:

"SURPRISE!!"

He was instantly blinded by the lights and streamers and smiles as everyone he knew jumped out of places in his own apartment that he never knew could hide a person (but he supposed it attested to their skill as shinobi). He turned to see Kiba, Shikamaru and Chouji standing to the side, the stupidest, biggest grins on their faces and knew that he had been had. Sasuke was standing in front of the crowd smirking at him like knew he could pull something like this off without Naruto ever noticing and Sakura was beside the bastard, beaming at him and looking she would burst, she looked so pleased with herself. Actually everyone was looking at him intently and several flashes indicated that the shell-shocked, idiotic, surprised look on his face would be captured and preserved forever and there was nothing he could do about it. In the expectant silence, there were only three words that came to Naruto's mind:

"Holy shit, guys!"

* * *

The party was amazing and, as Naruto, still feeling a little drunk, began to clean up the aftermath, he was left in wonder at his friends and especially Sasuke. They'd obviously spent time planning it all, but he'd never noticed. The even had been designed and carried out with battle strategy-like secrecy and efficiency. Naruto was truly touched, though he realised that this was a perfectly good pay off from all the people who had initially rejected his idea to have a birthday celebration. Pretty much all of his friends had said they had some prior engagement or something very important to do as they let his invitation down and apparently Naruto wasn't very good at being able to tell when his friends and even his lover were lying to his face. Sasuke had been told that he had been put on guard duty at the Hokage tower and couldn't find anyone to swap with – a story that Tsunade herself had confirmed.

He looked across the room at Sasuke and was struck by how much he loved him and how the Uchiha had changed. It truly was a magnificent expression of care that Sasuke had done something like this for him and Naruto loved him all the more for it. He'd never thought that Sasuke could come up with anything like this and even knowing that it had been a joint effort between Sasuke and Sakura, it still amazed him that Sasuke had been capable of it. It also made Naruto feel even worse for blowing up at Sasuke those many nights ago, and although they had both made up since then and put the matter behind them, Naruto thought to himself resolutely that sex didn't matter, surely, when your lover was as amazing in pretty much every other aspect as Sasuke was.

Sasuke abruptly turned to face him, seeming to sense that Naruto had been looking at him. He smirked a little, surveying the room and the amount of mess left before meeting Naruto's eyes once more. They would leave the actual cleaning till the morning but they, meaning Sasuke, hadn't been able to leave the rubbish on the floor.

"I'm going to have a shower. Think you can manage the rest on your own?"

"You're making the birthday boy clean up?" Naruto pouted exaggeratedly.

"Well, I made it happen. It's only fair that you clean up the mess you helped make. I'll see you in bed."

Oh ho! There was something about the way he said that – almost like a promise. Naruto caught his wrist as he passed him, turning him around to embrace him. He kissed him on the cheek softly and planted his face in the thick, black hair.

"Sasuke…thank you."

"Hn" He felt Sasuke kiss his jaw before he pulled out of Naruto's arms. Hearing the water run after the door closed on him, Naruto carried on clearing the party mess off the floor and moved the dirty dishes and glasses into the kitchen where they would probably be washed first thing in the morning by Sasuke. When he was done, he switched the lights off and headed towards the bedroom. The water was no longer running and Naruto assumed that Sasuke was already in bed. As he entered the room, he couldn't help but stop at the sight before him.

Sasuke was naked. Sasuke was naked and walking towards him. Sasuke was naked and was pressing himself against him, his arms coming up to wrap around his neck. He wanted to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. He was feeling a bit tipsy, but perhaps he was further along than that.

"Sasuke, what is this?"

"I thought about it for a long time and…it was silly really. But now, I can do it. I guess I'm just a bit nervous now – I don't know what I'm doing. Show me?"

Oh hell yes.

* * *

A/N: Well that sounds like a cliffie, right? So…*peers at readers to try and guage reactions* what do you think? I'm not too sure about this chapter, because I'm not too sure I pulled it off right – not sure that what I wanted came across the way I want it to, you know? So please review – it's the only way I'll know. Feedback and concrit will be greatly appreciated. I'll send you psychic love over the Internet in return! XD!


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